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Thu January 25, 2007

Indian Center plans unveiled
Group still working to get funds

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American Indian Cultural Center and Museum


The design for the proposed American Indian Cultural Center was approved Wednesday during a meeting of the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority. The group still needs to secure funds for the center on the banks of The Oklahoma River. Provided
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By Julie Bisbee
Staff Writer
Grand halls full of interactive exhibits, sweeping promenades and courtyards honoring the 39 federally recognized tribes in Oklahoma are all part of the plan for the American Indian Cultural Center.



Members of the Native American Cultural and Education Authority approved the plans during a board meeting Wednesday.

Designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the $135 million project would feature American Indians from Oklahoma telling the stories of their tribe and heritage. Renderings for the center show a design that incorporates natural elements of earth, wind and fire. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed in 2009.

The cultural center, which will eventually be located between Reno and SE 15 and Eastern Avenue, is being built on a former oil well drilling site. The center will have a Courtyard of Wind to welcome visitors. Lighted pillars will have flutes inside them that will make a sound when Oklahoma's wind blows through the area.

In a large grassy area inside the promenade, a fire pit will be constructed, according to a presentation made by Ralph Appelbaum, who presented renderings to board members Wednesday.

"This has the potential to be the most important regional facility in the country,” Appelbaum said.

The architectural firm is a leader in cultural museum design. The company's portfolio includes Country Music Hall of Fame, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Clinton Presidential Library.

The cultural center's design includes historical elements of tribal migration to Oklahoma. A grand promenade features stones from the states where Oklahoma tribes once lived before they were forced to walk to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears.

Exhibits at the cultural center would include the voices of Oklahoma American Indians telling their family history.

"It would not be a curatorial voice,” Appelbaum said. Staff members for the design group are already working to compile oral history from Oklahoma tribe members.

While the design of the center is impressive, the board still has to secure funding. The Native American Cultural and Educational Authority recently approved a contract with a consultant who will do a study on how to raise money for the cultural center.

The center has about $50 million for design and construction. That money includes a combination of state, federal and city funds. Construction is scheduled in phases that will begin as money becomes available.

In December, piers were put into the ground at the construction site and work to prepare the site is ongoing. The fundraising study will take about 90 days to complete, said Gena Timberman Howard, deputy director of the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority.

Timetable lies ahead
After the study is completed, a fundraising timeline will be set, she said.

Board members were pleased with the design.

"When we started this journey, it never occurred to me that it would be this good,” said Kelly Haney, former legislator and Seminole Nation Chief. "This is great, not only for the native people, but for people of the world to understand our story.”

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